1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to aquatic boards, and more particularly to sail boards in which light weight is desirable.
2. Description of the Related Art
Current sail boards, surf boards and similar aquatic sports devices are constructed with a solid foam or styrene core which is coated with a fiberglass or polyester resin, and occupies all or almost all of the interior space within the board. There are two basic fabrication techniques. With one technique, a shaped core is first formed, and then covered with an outer protective resin skin. With the other technique, a thermoforming process is used to blow a resin into a mold to form the outer skin, which is then injected with a foam core. In both cases the core does not add significantly to the strength of the board, but the finished board is heavier than would otherwise be desired.
In an attempt to eliminate the solid interior core, a hollow board has previously been fabricated through a blow molding process without adding an interior core. However, to obtain the necessary structural strength the walls had to be made so thick that the board was too heavy.
It has also been difficult to design a sail board with a mechanism to securely receive and capture a fin on the underside of the board, or a sail mast on the upper side of the board, in such a way that these items can easily be attached and then removed for storage. Fin boxes and mast tracks of similar design have commonly been used for this purpose. These items consist of a generally box-shaped housing having a grooved slot which receives a fin or mast. After the manufacture of a board has been completed, openings are routed out in the board, and the fin box and mast track inserted into their respective openings. They are either held in place by a pressure fit, or covered with a fiberglass and resin layer into which an opening is routed to expose the fin or mast slot.
With this type of construction, the laminate around the fin box or mast track can crack and break, releasing the device. In an attempt to overcome this problem, the fin box has occasionally been extended up to the upper surface of the board to give it greater stability. However, especially since the fin box is typically made from metal, this can add significantly to the weight of the overall board.